By Marilee Feldman, LCPC, CADC Standing in line at Starbucks, I glanced at a guy sitting near the window and did a double-take: Holy cow! It was actor/comedian Russell Brand. Well, for one heart-stopping moment, I thought it was him. Alas, it was not, but a guy who really looked like him. It now seemed pretty important to get on… Continue Reading »
Five Things Your Therapist Wants You to Know before Your First Counseling Session
Almost everyone knows someone who has been in counseling, but that doesn’t mean they’ve talked openly about what the experience was like. If you’ve never had therapy and haven’t been talking to the people in your life who have, you’ve probably got some preconceived ideas about what it will be like, from movies and TV. As a therapist, I’d like… Continue Reading »
Pathological Altruism: When Giving Causes More Harm than Good
Giving and putting others first is heralded as a loving act, a way to show how much you care for another person, a way to relieve someone’s sadness, distress, or fear. However, did you know that there are times when giving can do more harm than good? In the clinical world this phenomenon is called “pathological altruism.” If you google… Continue Reading »
Getting Unstuck
By Felicity Dineen, LPC Have you ever had the thought, “I feel stuck”? If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky. This is a very familiar and common feeling for a lot of people. Whether it be in a relationship, a job, a city, or any other situation, feeling stuck can happen at any point in one’s life. Many times this feeling… Continue Reading »
Making It Through Your First Breakup
I remember sitting in my office one evening as a young woman told me about her recent breakup. She said, “He is the one who ended things. And I don’t want to be that girl who can’t get over it, but people keep telling me I need to move on. Everyone assumes that our love was shallow, and so the… Continue Reading »
How to Identify Passive-Aggressive Behavior
By Marilee Feldman, LCPC, CADC Most people who come to me for counseling—whether it’s for anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, substance abuse, or stress management—are on some level dealing with a shame issue, a pervasive or occasionally triggered sense of not being good enough. Shame is part of the human condition; we all have it to some one degree or another…. Continue Reading »